West Hartford Town Manager Rick Ledwith and Capital Projects Manager Bill Phibbs provided an update about the status of the new Animal Control facility as well as updates to the existing building during a virtual meeting on Tuesday.

By Ronni Newton

Earlier this month West Town Manager Rick Ledwith shared plans for the new Animal Control Facility with the Town Council’s Public Works, Facilities and Sustainability Committee, and Tuesday afternoon he provided a detailed review of those plans and, along with Capital Projects Manager Bill Phibbs, provided further updates on the status of the project.

Ledwith and Phibbs also shared details about some interim updates that have been made or are in progress to improve the current outdated facility.

During a virtual meeting organized by “Friends of the West Hartford Pound” Facebook group administrators Andrea Stone and Debbie Sheridan, more than a dozen members of the group were provided an overview of the town’s plans to construct a new Animal Control facility farther back on the same site where the building is currently located, a dead end at 34-38 Brixton Street.

“I think as folks know we’ve been met with a series of delays on our end primarily related to the location of the facility,” Ledwith said, noting a need to accommodate not only Animal Control but also a new fire training tower to replace the now-uninhabitable structure, a fuel station, and a transfer station in the Brixton Street area.

“The biggest factor in all of these projects has been our transfer station and what we are doing with our transfer station,” Ledwith said, but due to negotiation of a favorable contract with Reworld (formerly called Covanta), the town doesn’t need as much additional space for the transfer station as previously thought, and it will be able to remain on its current site, along with the new fire training tower, which will then allow Animal Control to remain in its current location rather than moving down the street to property the town purchased in 2022 at 705 Oakwood Avenue and 12 Brixton Street. Moving to one of those parcels likely would have required environmental remediation to take place first, but aving the additional flexibility with the transfer station means the new Animal Control facility can be constructed on land already cleared next to and behind the existing building, and “that allows us to move faster,” he said.

Ledwith said the plans are to go out to bid for a contractor to build the new facility in the next two to three weeks, and while the plan is to break ground as early as possible in 2025, “I think we may be in a position to move even quicker than that,” he added.

Phibbs shared some specific design details, including a sketch that shows the location of the new building (in green above), which at 5,300 square feet is more than five times larger than the current structure (gray outline at lower left in image above). The existing facility will continue to operate while the new building is being constructed, and when that’s complete, staff will move in, the old building will be torn down, and the driveway will be renovated. There will be plenty of parking for staff as well as the public, and several separate entrances including for animals that are being brought in and need to be isolated due to health or other reasons. There will be three spaces – with interior and exterior space – for dogs that are in isolation.

“Lots of windows, lots of light, lots of access,” said Phibbs of the new building.

There will be covered exterior space at the new building, heated cement flooring, and dog runs in the rear of the building, where staff can bring dogs for exercise, Phibbs said, but as an interim measure a new 12-foot-by-24-foot dog run is being constructed to the left of the existing building. Work began this week, and when complete in the next week or two will prevent staff from having to walk dogs in the street. “Better for staff, better for the dogs,” he said.

The exterior has been refreshed – painted and new signage has been added – and an existing donation box now has an identifying sign as well.

“I can’t believe the difference I’ve seen already,” Sheridan said. She said the facility now looks less like a prison.

Phibbs said an inspector from the state walked the site with him on Monday, and provided some additional ideas for updating the interior of the current building while awaiting the completion of the new facility. Most animal control facilities in the state are older buildings, and were built when there were limited codes and don’t comply with the new regulations, he said but small measures can improve the current situation. The exterior dog run is also a way to upgrade the facility with the limited space available.

Phibbs said Animal Control Supervisor Kim Gulino will be sharing updates – photos as well as a narrative – about the progress of the new building on the West Hartford Animal Control Facebook page.

Sheridan asked if there will need to be Department of Agriculture approval obtained before the town’s plans for the new facility can move forward, and Phibbs said that regulations changed when the design was in progress, but the architects were able to use the most up-to-date requirements when developing the plans. “It meets the current state [regulations] and it’s accepted by the state for construction,” he said.

“What is the next exciting deadline, bit of progress?” asked Stone, and Phibbs said it would take six to seven weeks from the time the bid request is posted until the contractor is selected. He added that only contractors that have worked on animal control facilities in the past would be considered. If this winter is mild, he said, there is a possibility that some work could be done before the spring, which could take as much as five months off the timelines.

In response to Sheridan’s question about the $2 million budget being adequate, Ledwith said, “We may have to go back to the Council if it comes in higher than anticipated,” but he and Phibbs both said this is a good time to request bids because major work on schools is done for the season. He said even though all new animal control facilities are subject to the same state requirements, it’s not easy to compare projects from town to town because the buildings still include different amenities. West Hartford’s new building will be very energy efficient, he added, and less costly to maintain that some others.

In response to a question about cats, Phibbs noted that the existing building was designed as a dog pound in the 1970s. “The new facility has space for all,” he said. That includes not only cats, but other animals that are occasionally taken in by Animal Control officers, such as parrots.

The architect has designed the facility with a cattery, that will accommodate roughly 16 cats, and is isolated from the dog area. There are also pens where cats can be isolated from other cats.

The facility will have grooming and laundry facilities on site, Phibbs said. There will also be a large multipurpose room where the public can meet with animals for potential adoptions, and other events can be held. “Maybe also to bring in schoolchildren to learn about animal control,” he said. Now-retired Animal Control Supervisor Helen Lee was instrumental for including the plans for the multipurpose room as well as other amenities, he said.

When asked by someone during the meeting why this work had not been done sooner, Ledwith said it wasn’t a purposeful decision to ignore the situation and is not a reflection of how the town feels about animals.

“Certainly we’re focused on it now, we’re moving forward, and we’ll continue to do the best we can every day,” Ledwith said.

Stone asked what can be done by the community to best support Animal Control, and Phibbs said Gulino, or new Animal Control Officer Rob Ericson are the best people to ask. While there is limited space for donations to be stored, there may be specific needs that they can identify. “The staff is really encouraged by the look of the facility, seeing more support … I think that really helps them doing what they do,” he said.

The contractors who have been working on the property are animal lovers, and the dogs that are at the facility are happy to see them, Phibbs added.

“We’re at a good place,” Ledwith said.

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